The Diego Diaries: Spy v Spy (dd6 620)
=0=In a booth at the Diner On The Corner, Iacon
He sat waiting for her, nervous to his super structure. She had messaged him asking for a meet up and he had come early to sit and wait. He was almost never anxious or nervous. He usually knew what he wanted and what he would do to get it but this was unnerving. He stirred his cup of 'coffee' idly as he thought back to all the times he'd stepped into the abyss and felt nothing. Now? He was weak in the knees.
He saw her enter, her tiny form and immaculate beauty as entrancing as the first time it occurred to him that she was something he could desire but it was more than that now. He felt inside his spark the nascent beginnings of something else, something he had never felt before except with her.
She walked to the booth and he felt himself standing as she slid in across from him. He sat and they looked at each other a moment in silence.
He nodded. "How are you, Gem?"
She stared at him, then her expression crumpled. "I missed you, Hydro" she said softly.
For a moment he felt his spark soar, then he leaned in closer. "Has someone hurt you?" he asked with a sense of protection for her that surprised him. He gently lay his giant servo on her tiny one.
She stared at him, then shook her helm. "No." She put her own on top of his. "I miss you."
=0=Ratchet and Lennox
They walked down the street as Ratchet carried him, determined to have their conversation away from inquiring minds. It was cold outside and the sun shown, its light glistening off the surface of shiny things everywhere. Lennox rode on Ratchet's servo, waiting until the big mech got to where he was going. Ratchet would tell him what he wanted Lennox to know and it was likely that he did so at the behest of Optimus. For now, he would enjoy the ride.
They walked onward, then entered the Museum of Cybertron At Mars. It was quiet there, the orn still young. Soon it would be filled with citizenry, student groups and guided tours of human tourists. He walked onward, then entered a vast artfully lit room filled with jewels. Some of them were from Cybertron and the Empire, old and beloved configurations of things some of which couldn't be found on Earth. Others were both raw and worked versions of things found here and around the solar system. It was an ever growing collection. He paused before a display of diamonds the size of basketballs.
Cybertronian basketballs.
"I do love good bling," Ratchet said with a smile.
Lennox chuckled. :I think that beats the big ones on Earth. I don't think even the Queen of England can top that one:
Ratchet snickered. "No. I think Queen Prowl trumps her collection."
They both snickered together.
:What's up?: Lennox asked as he settled himself on Ratchet's hand.
:I'm going off line for this conversation. We've decided to flush out the spies. We think they're the ones killing mercs for whatever reason they have. We're going to be sending them and two others of your choosing to do short duties at the forward bases. We want to send them to Charon with two of your men so that we can turn their quarters without arousing suspicion and try to figure out how they manage to hide themselves when they kill the mercs: Ratchet said.
:You think it's them then: Lennox replied.
Ratchet nodded. :It's the tech angle and the victim that lends support to that theory. Unless someone among our own has come here with more advanced tech and a problem with organics … specific organics, then it would seem a reasonable deduction that its a human. I don't think the mercs are killing each other, though I'm open to being wrong. I do believe they've worked together enough to be past such things. That leaves the ringers:
Lennox considered that, then nodded. :Logic might dictate that to be true. What do you want me to do?:
:Pick out two slaggers who might want to see what the deal is on Charon, then include them. You have discretion over the garrison here and they belong to it under your command. We can do this change out thing until we figure this out. It can be an expansion of the training here. We're shipping quarters and support to Charon and it'll be installed today. When they're gone we're going to approach their quarters and begin a search. Do you notice anything weird about them and their housing?:
Lennox considered that. "No. We all have separate quarters and they often shelter at the consulate where they do most of their duties when not training. They have efficiency apartments at the garrison that all the non-family strikers use. No one enters anyone elses space. That's the rule. The few inspections I make you can count on one finger. We respect everyone's privacy in the garrison:
:Then hope that lulled them into be careless. We want to do this now: Ratchet said. :The zillionaires are going to want to go home in three orns and we have to have something in the bag before then. No one knows about this murder on Earth but the usual suspects:
:Alright. I can send a couple of the bachelors with them. I'll get on it: Lennox said.
Ratchet smiled. :You always were a good son, Lennox: Ratchet said as he headed for the door.
They both had a good laugh about that on the way.
=0=Diner
"Then I realized something that I never had before, Hydro," Gem said. "I realized that he wasn't you."
Hydro stared at her startled by her admission. She was in a serious relationship with a guy who was an accountant. He was good to her and they had fun. Then she said that and his world exploded in his face. She was staring at him with a mix of emotions. "Uh, I'm sorry, Gem. You sorta surprised me here."
She squeezed his servo. "When you saved us I was filled with gratitude and loyalty. You saved us, Hydro. That mattered to me. Then this place sort of … healed a lot. We had a lot of counseling to get over the fear and dread. I met him there and he was a great guy. He still is but … he isn't you."
Hydro stared at her with almost too much hope. "I didn't like that you found another guy," he said. "I didn't like it at all."
She stared at him, then grinned slightly. "Why?" she asked softly.
He stared at her, the best thing he ever met. "Because … because ..."
"Because why, Hydro?" she asked softly.
He stared at her in his inadequacy, then leaned slightly closer. "Because you are the one for me," he finally said.
He would live forever and never see anything as beautiful the whole time as her smile right now.
=0=Garrison meeting room, everyone on the team present
"Ratchet came to me just now and told me that Prime would like to see us get more experience in the system. He said it would be a good thing overall for us to know how to operate on ships and at the garrison bases outlying. He said watching us on ships during missions had made it imperative that we learn how to manage in zero gravity, on ships, perhaps during battles and among the mechs at the bases. He wants us to know about the galaxy beyond the solar system."
"So … he wants us to go out to the garrison bases and spend time there? Does that mean we go out with the shuttles when they do things?" Corey McFarlane asked.
Lennox nodded. "He wants us to get proficient in operations there and on board ships when they go out. He wants to send four at a time, small enough teams to go and be an asset and not a hindrance. I'm going to send Trevor Smith, Horst Mueller, Jack Paxton and you, Anderson. Bachelors first."
"Sweet," Jack Paxton said with a grin. "When are we going?"
"Now," Will said. "The ship leaves for Charon in two hours."
"No bridge?" Trevor asked with a grin as he rose to go.
"They want you to have the full experience," Niall Graham said with a chuckle. "Better you than me. I have a conference at Sparkling Day tomorrow."
"We're all getting a turn out there. I've been discussing this with them for a long time now and they agreed some time back. However, given the stuff going on, this is the first time we could sit down and discuss it," Lennox lied. "Get on it. Be ready to go to the ship in an hour."
The four men stood and walked out to get their gear together. The rest dispersed slowly but with enough bitching about being passed over to add to the reality of the moment. As it stood, only Lennox would know until the men left. Then Epps, Graham and Morshower would be told.
=0=Diner
They sat for two joors talking. Hydro mostly watching her as she poured out her spark. He almost didn't hear her words as he felt himself fly with joy that she'd broken up with the other guy, himself just a decent person and come to him with resolve. She wanted to see where this went.
He would go with her wherever she wanted to go. For the first time since arriving here, Hydro felt joy.
=0=Getting ready
"We can't tell home that we're leaving for this," Horst Mueller said to his partner, Colin Anderson as that tall rangy man got his gear together. "They're going to wonder why we miss the transmission times."
"Can't be helped. Besides, this is more intel," Anderson said as he zipped his duffel. "We can explain later." He picked up his bag and gun. "Let's go. Lennox wants us on time."
They gathered their gear, then walked out to the main room where Trevor and Jack were already waiting with Lennox, Epps and Graham. They joined the group.
"You'll be under the command of Mecurial, a long time soldier with the Autobots who's directing the garrison at the base this shift. The twins are going to be there for three days, then shift back in. That's their usual posting so it should be fun. Just listen and learn, use good manners and it should be fine all around," Lennox said. "Any questions?"
They had none so the group walked to the garage and entered a vehicle. With Niall at the wheel, they drove out and headed to the airfield and the shuttle that would fly them to the end of the solar system and the huge forward base on the moon of Pluto, Charon.
=0=Ops Center
"They're on their way," Prowl said as Optimus walked out of the office corridor nearby. "Mueller and Anderson are among them."
Prime nodded. "Good," he said. "No one will be able to contact anyone from there. Is the team ready to go?"
"When the shuttle lifts off, they will go," Prowl said.
As they talked, a shuttle made its way to space carrying some heavy cargo and four humans to the farthest posting that was still inside the solar system, the frozen dead moon of Pluto.
=0=The Team
Ratchet and Percy stood with a number of mini-cons who were forensics and technology experts attached to Sciences and the Day/Night Watch. Drift joined them to oversee the investigation while Sky waited with them to head the forensics operation. They would remain outside while the 'tech crew' would enter and 'do an onsite check' of the electrical system which was 'a standard thing we do every so often against the possibility of glitches'. Maybe. If anyone asked they would say an EMP burst happened and a glitch was in the system.
It was cold and sunny but no one felt anything but the chills of the hunt as they waited for Lennox to drive past them, the signal for the team to come to the hatch entrance. When he did, he waved the all clear.
"Go and do us proud, infants," Ratchet said with a grin.
The mini-cons glanced up at him, then laughed. Syncing their gear with Sky and Drift, they marched off in the usual munchkin band sort of way that all of them had when they were headed toward something. It was amusing to the big mechs as they watched.
"What did we ever do to deserve mini-cons?" Ratchet asked as they disappeared into the hatch.
"I don't know," was the considered response of everyone waiting with him.
=0=TBC 3-25-19 edited 4-6-19